Storage Wars Fan Fic
by NightWriterAdventures
Summary: This is...as it says: Storage Wars Fan Fic. Storage Wars is a pretty good show and I saw that they didn't have many fan fictions for this. So I decided to make one
1. Chapter 1

Money Owns This Town

By Sierra Carbrey

Limits…my view on limits…well it depends on what kind of limits. If you want to know my love life and relationship limits, well that is a different story. This is the story of how my limits were pushed.

I was 17 and had my own apartment in California. How I made my living, I worked at a store called Now and Then thrift store. I worked for Brandi and Jarrod. I was their best worker. Every one of their thrift store friends wanted to have me as an employee. It was actually quite sad. I worked there…a lot. And I knew there routine like the back of my hand. They arrive at the store at 6 in the morning. If the day feels right, they go out and go to auctions at Storage Units. No matter how much I asked them, they would never let me go. Jarrod said that it was too rough for a small girl like me. Brandi said that they really never had their employees travel with them.

This morning, I arrived earlier than Brandi and Jarrod. Today was the day I was going to convince them to let me go to one of the storage auctions. When I arrived in the old beat up Subaru that Jarrod lent me, I unlocked the back door and turned on all the lights. Then I sat in Jarrod's chair. He hated it whenever I would sit in his chair. He saw it as a right of power. So sitting in it would gain his attention.

I waited for 6am to arrive. And when it did, I heard the car pull up. Both of them would be in the car. I sat in the chair, tapping my leg rapidly. None of the other employees were here yet. I swiveled in the chair and played with my curly hair. Maybe my appearance was going to win Jarrod over. Not sure about Brandi. I was 5'6. Hair that reached a little farther than my shoulders. It was brown with blonde highlights. My eyes were green and I had a shapely body.

The doorknob turned and I knew that this was it. This is was my chance.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Jarrod called out. "See Brandi, maybe someone just parked here and didn't know it was out space."

"Jare! I think it might be Clove's car. The one you lent to her?" Brandi backfired.

"Maybe… I forgot what that thing looks like. Come on, let's go to the back room. We need to set things up if we are going to go to another auction." Jarrod instructed Brandi. I heard both of them come walking in. At first both of them were fazed and shocked.

"Clove! What are you doing here so early?" Brandi asked. Jarrod had other intentions.

"Clove! What are you doing in my chair?" He shooed me out and I hopped out of the chair, letting it swivel away. Jarrod grabbed it and sat down in it.

"Brandi," I looked at Brandi and then Jarrod. "Jarrod, I would like to propose something." I told them. Jarrod leaned forward on the desk and clicked the computer on.

"Yes sweetie?" Brandi responded. She always had thought of me as her little girl. She had tried to raise me with Jarrod as a little girl. My parents had passed and they were the godparents. I was 9 at the time.

"I was wondering… if maybe…I could go on a storage auction with you guys today?" I asked. Jarrod stopped is game of Solitaire and looked up at me.

"What?" He asked.

" I wanted to come with you guys today." I repeated. Brandi wanted to fix the situation, but once a friendly fight broke out between Jarrod and I, one of us would have to win to end it.

"Do you really think that you can handle the heat, people, and crowds? People you don't even know, yelling in your ear, surround you. You have to keep up with the Auctioneer. People will heckle you." Jarrod told me.

"Jare, stop trying to scare her. I am sure she can do it. She doesn't have to actually bid. She can just watch and learn, right Clove?" Brandi supported me.

"Yeah…Jare…" I imitated Brandi.

"Fine, but if any, ANY trouble starts up with her, she isn't coming to another one. Do you hear that Clove?" Jarrod looked at me. I nodded eagerly.

"It official, you're coming on an auction with us!" Brandi cheered. I smiled, doing a little jig. "Now hurry up and get your stuff. You might need…looks like nothing today. Sunny, but not too hot. It's cloudy, but I wouldn't worry about that." Brandi ticked off the things that I would need, which was nothing.

"What about the car? Should I drive with you guys?" I asked.

"Yes. You can come with us." Jarrod sighed. So far, this was pretty easy and off to a great start. We hadn't even left yet! "Oh dammit! Brandi! The auction starts at like…6:45. We gotta go. Now!"

Jarrod had glanced at the clock on their desk and noticed the time. He quickly wrote a note for the other employees and stuck it on the door so they would know what to do. So that's why there was a note every other day. It made sense.

When we stepped out side, the air was cool and the sky was a bit cloudy. I was wearing nothing but a gray tank top, and jean short with sandals. That wasn't going to protect me from the storms and rain. I glanced over at Brandi and Jarrod. Each of them had a jacket in their arms. I didn't think to bring one. Oh well. If I got wet, I got wet. I followed Brandi to the small BMW that they had. Two other people that I had seen work around the store had a large moving truck with them. They were the usual's that went with Brandi and Jarrod any time they went. I hoped to be the next addition.

"So where is this supposed to be?" I asked.

"Santa Ana. We have to be there early to sign you up as an addition and we have to arrive early to make sure…just to make sure. Key is, don't ask questions." Jarrod told me. I nodded and kept my mouth shut. Then I hopped into the back of the car and waited. I was so excited! My first auction! I had heard so much about these auctions. To be honest, I watched the show too. But Brandi and Jarrod always turned it off before the main credits started. They didn't want me to be exposed to the show.

As I sat in the car, I couldn't help but think if there were going to be any cute guys at the auction. I had recently just broken up with an abusive boyfriend that I had met while working at the store. He came in and wanted to buy this safe that Jarrod had found. From there on, it went farther than expected. But I had broken up with him a week ago.

"Clove, are you ready?" Brandi asked.

"Yep!" I exclaimed.

Jarrod climbed in the car, "Don't say that. Please." He sighed and started the car. I didn't bother to ask.

Once we rolled out of the parking lot, I was bouncing in my seat. I was dying to ask so many questions but Jarrod had told me to keep quite. How long did I have to keep quiet? Was I an observer? Could I bid with other people? Probably not. With all my excitement, my stomach started to churn. I was nervous. But should I be?

"How many lockers are there going to be?" I asked.

Brandi turned in her seat and said, "About 5. If we win one, you can either stay with someone we feel comfortable with, or you can come with us." She said. Now it was Jarrod's turn to comment.

"Who will we leave her with that we trust?"

"Umm. Darrell isn't…no. Dave-"

"God no! We are not leaving her with Dave!" Jarrod executed the idea.

"Then that only leaves her with Barry. How 'bout him." As Brandi and Jarrod talked back and forth, I wondered who this 'Barry' was. I hadn't seen enough of the show to figure out who they were.

"Fine, okay Brandi." Jarrod sighed and gave in.

"Okay, Clove, if you stay with Barry when we head back to a locker that we might win…I want you to be careful. He is…oh how do I say it. He is a player. I think someone once made a comment that one of the lockers looked like his hotel room. Then another person asked if there was a hooker in there. You get my drift?" Brandi informed me.

"Yeah I get it." This Barry guy was starting to sound pretty cool. How young was he? I hoped to find out.

"Good, now stay clear." Jarrod said as he pulled down his sunglasses. I looked out the side of the car window and in the distance I could see the large sign that read, _**Santa Ana Storage Units! **_My heart raced faster and I could see the sign getting closer and closer. I squealed with delight.

"Now calm down. I don't want you wandering off." Jarrod said. Even thought it seemed like he was distant from me, he cared for me like a father…or an uncle…a godparent.

"I won't. " I promised. We pulled into the lot and I saw a camera crew and 3 other people standing near them.

"Damn! We were too late." Jarrod cursed and pulled into a parking lot roughly. I didn't care. We were here. Jarrod pulled out the keys and the got out of the car. I unbuckled my seatbelt and clambered out of the car. Brandi was immediately by my side. And as soon as we got out of the car, I could hear people yelling at us from across the lot.

"Who's the newbie Jarrod?"

"Gotcha self a new girly?"

Jarrod seemed pretty peeved, so he turned and responded.

"Oh Darrell, this is my god daughter. She is studying to be like us."

We walked across the lot and ended up at the group of people. A cameraperson already came up to me and started to ask questions.

"Well, my name is Clove. Brandi and Jarrod are my godparents. I just wanted to come out today and see what it's like here. " I smiled and rejoined Jarrod and Brandi. People followed us, they were interested in knowing more about me. I felt pretty good. I loved getting attention.

The lot of us ended up at the gate. It was closed. So we were waiting for it to open. During that time, people started to come up to me and introduce themselves.

"Hey, I'm Darrell and this is my son, Brendon." This older guy, about 45ish with a beat up, grey, loose tank top came up to me and introduced his self and his son. He had a…a goatee looking thing and a long face. His son had more of a round face and no facial hair.

"Clove. Associated with Brandi and Jarrod." I tried to give my best auctioneer attitude. I shook his hand.

"You've got a tough handshake and an attitude. You're going to go places." He commented.

"Yeah, I know." I grinned and Darrell and his son walked off. Now, came rolling in another person. He was shorter, and a little rounder. There was a hat on his head that said, **YUUUUP!** On it. He wore thin-framed glasses.

"The name is Dave. I want you to know, no matter how hard you try, yeah, it won't work. I always win auctions with the younger ones." And without a handshake or friendly mention, he walked away. I was shocked by the rudeness of him. My face went red and my fists balled up.

"Don't worry about him. He is just…he's always that cocky. Nobody likes him. You new?" I heard a gritty, rough voice talk to me. I jumped and looked around for the person that had spoken to me.

"Over here sweetheart." The voice called.

What the? I turned and saw a man. Older than Darrell. He had white hair mixed with gray. Un like the older people I had seen, he had a lot of hair on his head. It was combed back in a wave and he wore funky black-rimmed glasses. He held a jacket that from what I could see, had two revolver guns embroidered into the shoulders. He leaned up against the hood of a Cowboy Cadillac. He wore Vans shoes on his feet. He was pretty cool and slick for an old guy.

"Hey, the name is Clove." I tried to sound slick, but he could see right through me.

"Yeahhh. Don't try that bull with me. My name's Barry." He pushed himself off the car and walked toward me. So this was the Barry that Brandi was warning me about. He seemed harmless. But he wasn't young. Brandi and Jarrod stuck me with him?

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm with Brandi and Jarrod." I introduced myself like I introduced to everyone.

"Yeah, I know. You've said it to the other 2 past people." He grumbled. I decided to step up the intimidation level and the attitude.

"Why so grumpy, grandpa?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"I'm not grumpy just fine well dandy to finally see young, sexy, girls stalking these places." He chuckled. My faced went red, I dropped my arms and turned and left to go back to Brandi. Yeah, she was right. Player for sure. Got to keep an eye on him.

"Saw you over there with Barry. What's going on?" Darrell chuckled beside me. He was also waiting for gates to open.

"Oh nothing. Just some back and forth talk. What are we waiting for?"

"For Dan and Laura. They are the ones who direct this thing. You have to sign up with them. Which Brandi and Jarrod already did." Darrell informed me.

"Oh cool." I nodded. So far, Darrell seemed like the only one I could trust with my life. Barry was creepy, but pretty cool. Dave was just…cocky. I already knew Brandi and Jarrod.

"But you gotta be aware. There are some major creeps here. Steer clear." Brandon told me.

"Like Barry?" I asked.

"Barry? No. He's a pretty chill guy. Nice cars, cool clothes. But not creepy." Darrell and Brandon put in. I felt confused. I shrugged the confusion off when Brandi and Jarrod walked out. I didn't want them all up on me, asking what went wrong. I shifted in my spot, waiting for the gates to open. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds and the air was cooler. I should have brought a jacket. As I shivered in all my tanned body glory, the gates opened and two people stepped up and front and began to speak. Jarrod and Brandi joined me.

"Hey Barry! What happened to your assistant?" Jarrod yelled over to Barry, who was listening to the fast talking couple while leaning up on his sweet car.

"He quit and went on his own!" Barry yelled back.

"Come over here old man!" Jarrod called for him. Barry sighed and walked over to where the three of us were standing.

"What Jarrod?" He stuck his foot out and crossed his arms, looking over his funky glasses. This old man had an attitude.

"Listen, can you do us a favour. We'll pay it back."

"Sure, what is it?" Barry asked.

"If and when we buy a locker and Clove needs a place to go to just hang and stay can she follow you during the auctions?" He asked.

"Wait…what? None of that made a lick of sense." Barry rose his eyebrows and looked at me. I looked down at the ground.

"Okay. When we buy a locker. And there is too much going on. Can Clove stay with you until we are packed up? Just staying within the barriers of the Storage Units?" Jarrod broke it down for Barry like he was a child. Brandi had her hand in her face.

Barry laughed, "Sure. I have no problem with that." He peered over at me and grinned. I stepped back behind Brandi like a shy child. That man was not afraid.

When the couple stopped talking, they let us inside the gate and then closed it. We followed them through a labyrinth of halls and lockers. We went inside and out. We eventually ended up outside, near the back of the whole entire place. Time for the first auction. When they first started I could barely hear the man or what he was saying because he was talking so fast. But I could hear the bids. I could especially notice Brandi and Jarrod bickering about the prices that they would pay. That happened a lot. I was used to this bickering.

"You used to this?" Darrell asked me.

"Uh-huh. Every single day. It's the same thing. Brandi does this. Jarrod, not that! Clove…stop daydreaming." I told him what it was it was like living with them.

"400$ who's going for 400$? 450$" The man talked as fast as…as. His fast was his own kind.

"YUUUPPP!" This annoying voice would keep repeating over and over. Every time the bid went up. I was going to find this man and shut him up.

"Darrell, who is that? That annoying Yup?" I asked him

"Dave Hester. God. I would love to just bid him right up." Darrell huffed. "But I'm not going to buy this locker. It looks too big. But Brandi and Jarrod are." He said. I looked at Brandi and Jarrod. They looked like they really wanted this locker. The money was up to about 800$ right now, and Brandi and Jarrod were debating whether to go any farther. Just then I heard another Yuuup! That was it! Dave broke my patience and I was going to take Darrell's advice and bid him up.

"Yeah!" I yelled. Brandi, Jarrod, Dave, Darrell, and Barry all stared at me. The Auctioneer was still going.

"850$ Who's going 850$? 875$" He rapidly said. I was going to bid him up, or win the locker. Either way, I would get something good out of this

"1025!" I yelled out.

"1025! Who wants to go higher? 1050? 1075?" He spoke quickly.

The bidding went on forever. I would not give up, but eventually, I had to. Brandi and Jarrod didn't have enough money for the amount I was pricing up, so I reached the final amount of 9000$ I had to pretend to look like I was going to go higher.

"9000! Who gonna go higher? Dave? You up for the challenge?" Dan teased Dave. And without hesitation Dave responded.

"YUUUUP!" Once Dave said that, I knew that I had it in the bag. Dan went once more and no one responded. The lasting price was $9050. When the reality of it set in, I realized that I had beaten the master. He was screwed. Unless there was something in there. But I was still proud. The crowd was silent.

"Moving on to the next unit! Follow us!" Dan and Laura headed on somewhere else. Dave stood there, he seemed kind of dumbstruck. I scurried away next to Brandi, Jarrod, Darrell, and Barry.

"Wow, first time and you beat the mogul. You out priced him. How did you do that?" Jarrod asked. He seemed impressed by my handy work.

"It's easy. I can tell that he relies mainly by the fear and mindset of the people there. And their body language. I have seen you guys try and bid and even though you try hard enough to hide it, it's not good enough. I just acted as if I was going to buy it. Like I had enough money for it." I explained how I tricked Dave.

"Is that it?" Barry asked, now beside me. He looked intently at me. I looked ahead.

"Nope there's something else." I told him. I looked at him in the eye.

"And what is that?" He asked in his surprisingly seductive voice. I tried to pull away from it.

"My body." I grinned slyly and looked ahead. Darrell almost choked on his Slurpee, Brandi and Jarrod…well their faces went red.

"I think I can roll with that. Can you do that a couple more times…just to amuse us?" Barry said. Then he looked over at Brandi and Jarrod, "You've got a great girl over here! I feel so lucky!" I put his hand on his heart and threw his head back to laugh.

"Yeah…so do we…" Brandi put her head down.

CHAPTER 2

So far the auctions had been going quite well. Brandi and Jarrod had bought a small locker, inside, but it was packed to the rim with stuff and junk.

"Yeah, as much as we want you stay and be with us. I think that you should go with Barry and just…wait til we come and get you." Brandi said. Just then, Barry appeared at the locker door, leaning on it, with his arms crossed and glasses slightly tilted down. He looked over them.

"I'm here to babysit!" He cooed. Chills ran up and down my back.

"Okay. Just…Clove, stay where you are and we will come and get you." Brandi told me. I walked away from the stable mess.

"I will. I'm not stupid." I said. I walked to the opposite end of the hall.

"Don't do anything you might regret in the future!" Brandi yelled. I couldn't help but a laugh…a lot.

"I won't! Bye now!" I called and met up with Barry. I kept my head down and didn't want to look at Barry. Ever since the odd comment he made to me, I had felt weird around him.

"Well hello miss, I manipulate everyone with my body moves. Ha! Wanna help me unpack the locker that I bought?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure. I would like to." I mumbled.

"What is wrong with you?" He asked. We walked out of the small building and stopped in the middle of the road.

"Nothin' let's keep moving." I said. I looked up at him for the second time today. He seemed less harmless and more…no! No! My mind twisted my thoughts into some odd thoughts. I smiled at him and we kept on moving. The camera crew followed us to the back of the units, outside. Did they have to follow us? Barry had the same thought. He zig zagged across the lots and went into another building then we came out the back of the building and back to where his storage unit was.

"They were getting annoying. Had to lose them." He told me. I nodded in agreement. "Great minds think alike!" He laughed and pulled open the locker. It was a deep locker and a tall one. There were boxes on the top of some shelves.

"Those are pretty high boxes how are you going to get them down?" I asked, as I looked up at the shelves.

"You. That's why I volunteered to take you. Why else?" He told me. His voice was rough. Could he be a smoker?

"Oh…really?" I felt slightly sad, but I had no clue why. Did he not want my company, and just my labor?

"Yeah. You're going to need a stool and get on that. Once you are one the stool, you need to climb up on the shelves. They'll support you, don't worry. Then grab the boxes and put them down on lower shelves where you can reach them." He explained to me how to get them down.

I sighed and entered the storage unit. In the back of the unit, I found an old chair. It wasn't much, but it would be good enough. I took it and dragged it out of the corner and placed it next to the shelves. I looked up. That was high…I stepped up on the chair and put my hands on the shelves. I pushed down on it. It was steady and stable. I put my foot up and stepped down hard. Still stable.

"Don't worry. It'll hold." Barry told me. I shrugged and hoped that I didn't break anything. He entered the back and searched along the edge of the storage unit. I pushed off and quickly grabbed the pole that was connecting the shelves together. I looked down that was far. Barry was watching me, with his arms crossed and legs crossed at the ankle. I stepped up another level on the shelf and could feel the shelf shift slightly. I panicked and pressed myself against the shelves. I was terrified. Barry chuckled. I looked down.

"This isn't funny! The shelf just moved!" I yelled down at him.

"Okay. It's not funny." He agreed. I sighed and returned to the shelves. The boxes were right in my reach. I let go of the pole with one hand and took a box down. It was unusually heavy and it fell off the shelf. I nearly dropped it, but I grabbed the flap that was open.

"Drop it! I got it!" Barry seemed worried about the box more than me.

I dropped it and it landed in his arms. I looked back up and saw another box higher up. This one looked smaller but worthy for my attention. I reached up to grab it and but when I went higher, the height and the support system of the shelves became unbalanced at the shelf began to collapse. I fell from them and knew if I hit the concrete floor, my brains would be all over it. Brandi and Jarrod would be mad. My hands flung out to try and find something that would hold me or that I could grab and hang onto. Nope. I closed my eyes and the rush of wind passed my ears. But…I didn't hit the ground. I opened my eyes and looked around. I wasn't on the ground. I looked to my left and saw Barry's face. It was a mix of shock and amusement. My heart was thudding and my hands were clammy. I had almost died. I think…? I took a survey on my surroundings. In a panic, my hands had gone around Barry's neck and I had a death grip on my own hand. Barry was supporting me, all by himself. I hopped down from his arms and dusted myself off and straightened my tank top.

"Sorry." I apologized. I looked down at my feet.

"No! No. It's okay. Just a little slip." He tried to laugh.

"Okay. Well I can't get the rest of the boxes down." I sighed and shrugged.

"Oh that's fine. You have the smallest frame I have seen on a girl your…shape." He said. I wasn't sure if that was a comment.

"Uhh Thanks. Told you that was my special power." I joked.

"No kidding." He mumbled under his breath. I ignored it. I was much more busy thinking about what had happened. I took the chair and dragged it to the front of the storage unit. I dragged it all the way out into the middle of the road. It had gotten much…much more cool. There was actually a slight chill. I looked up at the sky. It was gray. Thunder boomed in the distance. Lighting flashed and cracked down the sky. I sighed and as I let out my breath, rain fell from the sky. Ugh. I jumped up and ran out of the rain and into the unit. I left the chair out there. As soon as I got under shelter, it began to downpour. It was like Niagra Falls out there. I could hear the pounding of the rain on the top of the unit. Wind blew in and made me terribly cold. I really should have brought a jacket. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my shoulders.

"Want my jacket?" Barry asked. My tossed me the jacket I had seen him carrying around. It was the one with the guns on the shoulders and the other cowboy like print.

"Oh…sure. I don't really need it. But okay." I shrugged. Then I slipped into the jacket. It was warm and I felt comfy in it. "Thanks." I muttered.

"Yeah! You were shivering like a Chihuahua. Haha." He laughed at his own joke.

"I bet. Ugh. When are Brandi and Jarrod going to pick me up." I shivered.

"Aww You don't want to hang around with little old me." Barry whined.

"I do. It's fun. Are you going to be at the one tomorrow?" I asked him. I didn't want to be lonely.

"Yeah. I try to be at every single one there is." He smirked.

"Why?" He asked in a singsong voice.

"Cause I don't want to be lonely. Darrell is cool, but he is werird..ish." I said and shrugged my shoulders.

"Okay fine…" He smirked.

"Yay!" I fake squealed and jumped in my seat. He was a cool person, but..yeah. I waited a long time for Brandi and Jarrod to pick me up. The rain was still going hard. Barry had given up on packing so far and sat next to me. We didn't talk. I checked my phone for the time. I needed to be home by four. I needed to be at my new job in time. It was one of the jobs that kept Brandi and Jarrod out of debt.

"Hey! Clove! Get out of your head and let's go!" I could hear Jarrod's voice in my head. At least I thought. I felt a pinch on my arm and snapped out of the trance I was in. Barry was looking at me.

"Your folks are here." He pointed out in the rain and sure enough, Brandi and Jarrod were in the car, waiting for me. I jumped up and looked at Barry. I still needed to give him his jacket. I shrugged it off and handed it to him. "Thank you!" He took it from me and I dashed out of the unit and jumped into the car.

"Bye! See ya soon!" Barry called out. I smiled and waved before I disappeared into the car. I was going to make it to my job.

CHAPTER 3

When Brandi, Jarrod and I returned back to the store, Brandi and Jarrod's kids' nanny had dropped the kids off. When I walked in they quickly greeted me.

"Clove! Hi!" Both of them ran to me. I squatted down and gave them a hug. They were so sweet. "Can you play with us? Please?" They asked. I frowned.

"I wish I could, but I can't because I have to go to work." I sighed and looked at them. They also seemed very sad.

"Why can't you stay?" Brandi asked as she came up from behind. I jumped and looked at her.

" I have that job that helps this store." I told her.

"You never told me what that job was." Brandi crossed her arms.

"I don't have to tell you. Hey, I've got to go. The job gonna start soon." I hugged the kids and sad bye to Brandi and Jarrod. I dashed out the door and took Jarrod's pick up truck. I had to be on my way to down town Los Angeles.

I drove down the street and into the fancy parts of L.A. This is where the rich people hung out, so I knew that I was going to get a lot of money tonight. It was a Friday. I drove in and parked in the back parking lot of the building. I had arrived to _The Beach Strip_.

_The Beach Strip_ was the only job that I could get that could allow good money every time I worked there and I could help support the store. I was sad to say that the job was totally degrading. _The Beach Strip _was a local and very well known Stripping house. I felt so guilty but I needed to help Brandi and Jarrod with their store. I couldn't let them go down the drain. I had the same name here as I did at home. Clove. Some people called me Chloe.

"Aye Chloe! How are you darling!" The manager; Roman greeted me kindly. He was the only person that really showed me respect.

"Hey Roman. What's up." I said. I was down on spirit.

"Nothing. Are you ready for another busy night?" He asked.

"Yeah. And I've been stretching so I can become more flexible on the pole." I told him. A couple weeks ago, I had been on the pole and had really pulled some muscles. The rest of the week, I had been in pain and Jarrod was asking me why. I had to say that I had pulled it while playing soccer.

"That's good!"

"Yeah I guess. So, I should go and change?"

"Yep. See you soon." Roman waved goodbye and I went into the dressing room. I wasn't that excited for tonight, because all that was on my mind was the auction that had happened today. But I pushed that aside and went to work on putting my outfit on. I am not even going to try to explain how vulgar it was. Let's say it had the same idea as a bikini, but more burlesque. My long hair would do me fine. I could usually hide my face with it. I didn't want Brandi nor Jarrod to know what I had been getting into. They usually had friends who came here. That is what made me nervous…

When I was done with getting the outfit on, I snuck out of the dressing room and to the main stage. The curtains were drawn so I had time to situate myself. Before every show, I would pray and ask God for my forgiveness. I was only doing this to help Brandi and Jarrod. Of course he would reply, "You could have gone with another job." I would just say that this conversation has ended. I never knew I chose this job instead of something else. Outside, I could hear the crowd getting rowdy.

"Gentleman, thank you again for choosing the _Beach Strip. _We highly appreciate it! And without further ado, the Burlesque Babes!" Roman announced us and the curtain flew open. I sighed and began the long and tiring hours of a dancer.

After my act had finally finished up it was free reign for any of us. This is the part I hated. The act was better because people could look at you but they couldn't reach you. This…this is when people could actually touch you and ask you for stuff. I hated it. I have tried so many times to talk myself out of it. But I had to do it. It was for the money. So I walked off the stage and began to wander around. It wasn't long until I—someone found me. I was walking around and began to head toward the backstage area because I hadn't done much…eh…work. I wasn't getting enough people. But I was fine with that. Until…someone pinched my ass.

"Hey there! I'm looking for a good time." The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't really get that tone of voice right.

"I'm sorry, but I am going off duty." I spoke to the man, without turning around.

"Can I go off duty with you?" I heard a joking laugh and got upset. So I turned around to see who was talking to me.

"Excuse you, I think—" I stopped talking immediately "B-B-Barry? Is that you?" I was looking straight into the face of the man that I had bonded with over old collections.

"Clove…What the hell! What are you doing here!" He asked sounding surprised.

"What are _**you **_doing here? I work here!"

"What, you don't think an old man can come here. Maybe I need to relax too! I still don't see why you work here."

"Ha. I thought that this might of given you a heart attack on the spot," I pointed to my "classy" outfit. "You said it yourself today, I have the bodily structure for it." I smirked and began to walk off into the back area. He followed. "You can't follow me. Patrons aren't allowed in the back room. And if they are, that probably means the worker here is…um well giving them… "special service" I don't want you to follow me in!"

"Uh, I'm still not done with you! There is still a lot of explaining to do." Barry complained and marched right through the door along with me.

"There is no explaining! Leave!" I pointed to the exit above the door.

"Chloe, that is no way to treat our patrons." Roman had come up behind us during our fight.

"But!"

"No buts! Why is he back here anyways?"

"He followed me! Tell him to leave!" I exclaimed.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Anyone who comes through that door…well I shouldn't have to explain it to you. You've been here long enough." Roman shrugged and left.

"How long have you been here! And Chloe?" Barry couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, god, this is great!"

"No it isn't! I need you to leave!" I began pushing him towards the door. He stopped me.

"Oh no, you are not going to go anywhere, You will explain to me why you work _**here!**_"

"Barry! Please! Oh my god, just leave! I will not tell you why I work here." I snapped at him.

"But come on. This is priceless. You…here!" He smiled and lightly punched me in the shoulder. I became angry and lashed out with my own fist, but he caught my tiny wrist in his hand. I looked up at him. For a second I could see a flash of care in his eyes, but it disappeared. I quickly looked up at the clock and yanked my wrist away

"Listen, I have bartending duty. Leave or hide your face. This is awkward enough." I told him.

"Fine, but I'll be keeping an eye on you." He smirked.

"And that's not creepy at all." I rolled my eyes and said sarcastically.

"Yeah, sure it's not. You'll thank me later." He smirked yet again and pranced out that door. I sighed and followed after, but sidetracked off to the bar. The bar was a hangout spot for all the single creeps, so I always hated this shift. But it made money, so I did it. The night wore on and my patience did too. People would come and be rude. I had enough, but apparently, no on else did. So I non chalantly exited the building and into the back alley way. I sighed and reached into the back pocket of my outfit and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. I took one out and lit it one fire. God, Brandi had banned me from these, ever since she saw my smoking in the back of the shop. I slipped it in my mouth, but as soon as I did, I pulled it out and coughed heavily. I tried to breathe, but all I could do was cough. Ugh I was not used to smoking. I sighed and leaned on the wall.

"You know smoking is bad for you?" I heard a voice creep out from behind my back. I whipped around to face the voice, but I couldn't tell who it was. The person was wearing a ski mask. I instantly knew something was up.

"Yeah but it relieves stress." I said, trying to stay cool.

"It'll ruin your skin, lungs, and such a pretty little thing you are." The ski masked person stroked my face. I slapped it off.

"Can you please leave me alone. It's my break." I told him.

"Even better for me. It's easier to take a person when everyone knows they're gone." The voice dripped like ice. I froze. What was I supposed to do? The man grabbed for me, but I skipped back, barely missing his hands. "Don't try to struggle, it'll make things worse." He sneered. I balled my fists and swung at the person. He grabbed both of my wrists and dragged me away from the exit door, Luckily, I still had my cig. I struggled and was able to just barely dig the cigarette into his skin. He screeched and let go. I got up and tried to run in my 5 inch heels. They weren't helping, I was as slow as ever. I tried to run while taking them off, but that didn't help. I tripped a couple times and the assailant caught up to me. I landed on my back, the attacker over me. I kicked and scratched, trying to keep my ground. But the person would not give up. I was getting hit and I think a bloody nose. Just as the person pulled out the largest knife I have ever seen, I heard car wheel squeal on the ground and stopped right near where I was being attacked. Both of us froze.

"Hey! I suggest you leave, before I run you over with my car." I heard the familiar, deep and rusty voice. The man scrambled up and ran away. I tried to get up, but all I could do was crumble back to the ground. "I told you that me keeping an eye on you would come in handy." Barry joked.

"Yeah. Ha. Now help me get up." I growled.

"Okay…Okay. I'm coming." He walked around the car and came over to where I was, he reached out his hand. I eagerly took it and I hopped up.

"Thank you. Thank you." I instantly knew how quick I could have died. I hugged Barry tightly, taking in the smell of cigarettes.

"Yeah…of course." He patted my back and we got into the car. I sat in the passenger seat. I blotted my bloody nose with my hand. "Jeez. You need some Kleenex. Do you have some at Brandi and Jarrod's house?"  
"We are NOT going to Brandi and Jarrod's house! No way in hell! I am still in these clothes, beat up, and bleeding."

"Then what are you going to say when you come to the next auction tomorrow with me? Huh?" he asked.

"I will tell them that I was going to work, got mugged, went to the hospital….and you were there for a checkup and drove me there the next morning!" I thought of a fool proof plan.

"Fine, but if they don't believe that, then we retort to the real truth." He said. I sighed.

"Deal. Just…ugh…drive me to your place. I'll sleep on the couch." I sighed and knew that I couldn't go back home in the shape I was in.

"Okay, but no getting funky or tricky." He joked with me. I smiled.

"Like I would. That's disgusting." I laughed.

"Oh sometimes I change people's mind." He joked. I laughed. I could remember just this day he was making jokes about me. We had barely known each other. Now he was taking me to his house. I smiled a little, knowing that I had made a little friend.

"Here we are! He called out. I looked up at the large house. It was a large Spanish home, adobe and 2 stories. There was a fountain in the middle of the grand walk way. Barry pulled around the circled drive and parked. I was astounded at how big his house was.

"Woah….that's a damn big house." I gawked at the house.

"Yeah. Get used to it." He told me. I nodded and stepped out of the car. I was still in my…nasty clothes. "Come, hurry up and get inside. I don't want to Cops called on me again." He pushed me in.

"Someone called the cops on you? Hey now! Watch where you are putting your hands!" I told him.

"Okay..Okay." He took his hands away and went up to the door and unlocked the door. Even this inside of the house was large and magnificent! I peered around, staring at the larger interior. It was a dark tan, beige color with a low lighting that set the mood. I gawked open eyed. It was amazing. His couches were leather and he had old lamps set up all over the place. I could hear music playing off in the distance.

"Wow…this is amazing." I muttered. Barry came up behind me.

"You want to change?" He asked me. Shivers ran up and down my body. God damn Barry.

"Yeah. Do you have anything?" I asked him.

"Yes. A plaid checkered shirt is laying on the table. You can use that. It's long enough." He pointed to the kitchen. I nodded and walked into the kitchen. It was big too! Wow Brandi and Jarrod's bedroom was this size! I peered around as I blindly grabbed the plaid shirt. I ran quickly from the kitchen to the bathroom, which was real close. I stared around the place. It had a large pedestal bathtub and a hot tub. A large mirror hung from the wall. I turned and tore off the clothes. They didn't need a pull, just a slight breeze and they fell off. I slid on the plaid shirt and buttoned it up. It was long enough and covered my knees. My curly, long hair looked pretty with the checkers. I walked out and looked for Barry.

"Barry?" I called out.

"In the living room!" He replied. I walked through the house, confused, until I came to the living room. Barry was sitting in a chair, two champagne bottles in his lap. I looked at him weird. I sat down on the couch.

"What are those for?" I asked him.

"For tonight. You have one. I have one." He gestured to the bottles in his lap.

"Sounds risqué, but I'm up for it." I smiled and reached my hand out for the bottle. He threw it to me. I caught it and grasped it tightly. I tore off the weird silver wrapping and carefully popped the cork. "What do we toast to?" I asked him.

"To…a fun night." He smirked and popped his own cork. I smiled and took a swig. Since I was 17, I wasn't used to the alcohol, but I was sure not to choke and spit up the nasty champagne.

Near the nights end and the dawns beginning (so about 11pm.) both of us were pretty…I would say…drunk. We had finished off the bottle of champagne. I had ended up in the same chair as Barry. During that time, he has asked me for a couple of…things. A lap dance…it was then he asked me how old I was.

"How old did you say you were again?" He gently took my waist and sat me down next to him. I looked at him.

"I turned 17 yesterday." I told him drowsily.

"Oh…damn." Both of us sensed the danger and risky business of it all. I looked him in the eye. My eyes were drowsy and I was feeling heavy. I closed my eyes. We both fell asleep. In the chair. He was sitting normally, while My legs dangled over the arms, my head on his shoulder. It was odd, but I slept fine. In my dreams all I could think about was Brandi and Jarrod reacting to me and Barry staying over. And then something else was in the way. There was something…someone. It was weird. A person…

I woke in the late morning. Around 11:30am. The auction was at 1pm. I was groggy and lightheaded. I lifted my head up and everything from last night came into my head instantly. I stopped. What have I done? Oh god…I then remembered that I had no clothes. Shit. I carefully stood up and leaped off the chair. I tiptoed to the door, where there were a PILE of keys. I panicked and just chose a pair of keys. I opened the door and realized that I was only in the shirt. I hurried and beeped the keys. A small, red, truck looking car beeped near the edge of the driveway. I rushed to the sidewalk and rushed to the side of the car. I pulled the door, but it wouldn't open. I unlocked it. There, it opened. I slid in and drove out. I sped down the street and to a thrift store where I could find cheap clothes that I could wear for the day. I sighed and tried to catch my breath as I remembered last night occurrences. Barry was going to either be slightly pleasured or totally pissed when he found out what happened the night before. I sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

As I pulled up to the thrift store, I looked around to see if anyone was there. No one I knew was there. I quickly dashed out of the car and into the thrift store. This was a thrift store that everyone and anyone went to. So me dashing in there seemed natural with just a large mans shirt and no pants. Which was a good thing for my situation. I felt dirty and sick. What had I done last night?

As I entered the store, I noticed a large black pick up truck in the parking lot. It looked familiar. I shrugged and walked in and straight to the clothes section. I quickly picked off a pair of jean shorts and a tank top. I slipped them on and headed to the check out counter. In this store, people were allowed to put clothes from the store on and check out with them. That's how far into the ghetto I had drove. So I ran to the checkout counter to face someone that I had not expected to be there.

"Hi, can I—you looked familiar…Brandon? Is that your name?" I asked him. He looked up from the counter and was slightly shocked to see me.

"Clove? Oh! Yeah…yeah my name is..uhh…uhh Brandon!" He struggled to find his own name. I laughed.

"Yeah, my name is Clove. Did you and your dad get anything from the auctions yesterday?" I asked him. He sighed and looked at the checkout.

"No. Are you going to check out?" He asked. I forgot that I was buying something.

"Oh, yeah. I am going to buy these…uh tank top and shorts." I pointed. He nodded and typed it into the small, old computer.

"That'll be…10 bucks. What's with the shirt?" He asked me. I looked down at the checkered shirt I was wearing. "It looks familiar."

"Oh…I lost…stuff. Here." I handed him the money and left the store. As I was walking out, I turned around to looked back in the store. Brandon was watching me walk away. I waved awkwardly at him and he froze, shook his head and waved back. I laughed and turned to get back in the car. I was a wee bit giddy. I had no clue why.

CHAPTER 4

I pulled in the drive and parked the red truck. The house still looked asleep. I got out of the car and quickly dashed into the house so no one would see me. When I dashed into the house, I expected Barry to still be sleeping on the chair. But he wasn't. When I saw that he was gone, I froze. Crap. I carefully tip toed through the house, when I realized that I was starving. I hadn't had much to eat. Maybe…maybe, I could find some food. Forgetting about Barry's disappearance, I scurried into the kitchen. The kitchen was HUGE. I didn't really know where the easy to get food was. I opened all the doors and closets. Nope, nothing.

While searching for the food, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Shit.

"What are you looking for?" I heard Barry ask me. I stood still, looking forward, not moving.

"Food."

"Alrighty then." He said. I couldn't take the awkward tension…I turned around and faced Barry. I embraced him in a hug, my head barely peeking over his shoulder. "What in the hell is wrong with you?" He asked.

"I-I-I think that all is left for us was a one night stand…" I told him. He pulled me off and looked at me.

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm kind of...ending what we never started…" I told him. Barry turned his back to me. I heard a shocked laugh.

"Damn girl. You really know your way around the men. And you are a minor. Well…" He sighed and seemed amused and disappointed.

"I'm…I'm sorry. You know that—"

"I know what? I know that you are going to get your ass out of my house." He told me. I was shocked by his reaction. I jumped and stood there. "You hear me, get out!" He exclaimed and shooed me out of the house. I ran out of the house, grabbing my shoes on the way out. I took on last look at the house and ran.

Who knew where I was running. I had to go somewhere. But I didn't know where. I wasn't exactly ready to go home and face Brandi and Jarrod. I sighed, sat on a curb near the gas station and slid my Chuck Taylors on. I placed my head in my hands and sighed. Fuck me. What had I done? As I wallowed in my sadness, I heard a car honk. I quickly looked up. A large black pick up truck had pulled up next the curb I was sitting at.

"Hey. You Jarrod and Brandi's little girl?" I heard a semi familiar voice call out to me. I looked up. "Don't be scared. I'm not going to attack you. I'm Darrell Sheets. Remember me?" He laughed. I stood up and nodded.

"Yeah." I muttered.

"What happened to you?" He asked.

"Long story. Boring." I told him and turned on my heel to walk away.

"Wait a second. I have time. Well till the next auction. Come on, I'll give you a ride there." Darrell asked, and leaned over in the car to open the passenger door. I looked at the car, and at Darrell. Eh, who cares. I smiled politely and hoisted myself into the car. When I entered, I could smell the scent of new leather and car freshener. "So, what's got you on the streets?" Darrell asked.

"A little relationship problem…" I sighed.

"The boy dump you?" he asked.

"Uh…the…man did." I said, shifting in the seat.

"Man? How old was this guy?" Darrell seemed slightly shocked.

"Old…er. What do you expect? Guys like me…I just have a hard time choosing…the right one." I sighed, leaning up against the window.

"And…?"

"I had a one night stand with a guy I met yesterday. And he got made at me and kicked me out. I feel pretty bad…" I confessed. "I knew that it wasn't going to go well even if we did stay together. It wasn't going to last in the long run. He already knows too much about me."

"Well it's good that you can recognize that." Darrell told me. I nodded.

"I saw Brandon at that thrift store today." I mumbled.

"Oh! Really…" Darrell shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I grinned, knowing I had made him uncomfortable. That was just making the competition weaker.

"Yeah. SO how many hours til the auction?" I asked.

"Around…1 hour. I have to pick up Brandon." He told me.

"I'll move to the back." I told him, unbuckling my seatbelt. About to move into the back.

"Go ahead." Darrell told me. He seemed moody after me telling him that I had seen Brandon. I climbed out of the front seat and into the back. Then I buckled and waited.

"You know, my…mom always told me, 'Never get into a car with a strange man. Especially if he has a pin up tattoo and wears tank tops.'" I told him. That lightened him up a little.

"Well looks like you've got into the wrong car. Haha. Who is your mom?" He asked.

"I used to have a mom and dad, but they died. My mom; Cancer. A year later it took my dad." I said solemnly. "So then Brandi and Jarrod took me up."

"Oh…sorry." He said.

"No, it's okay. Not many people ask." I sighed and looked out the window as we pulled up to the thrift store to pick up Brandon. There was something inside of me that was happy to see Brandon again.

Darrell rolled down the window and called out to Brandon, who was wandering around the parking lot.

"God, he looks like an idiot. Brando!" he called out to Brandon. He looked up and saw Darrell. He ran to the car and threw open the door.

"Hey Dad. Sorry, I was waiting for you." Brandon smiled.

"Hi Brandon!" I waved quickly at him. Brandon froze and turned to look at me. He seemed shocked.

"Oh hey, Clove." He said and smiled slightly. "Are you sticking with us for the day?"

"No, I have to go with Brandi and Jarrod. They would be mad if I didn't show up again. I left them last night…for something." I fidgeted around with my hands.

"Oh…okay. Too bad. Cause—"

"Brandon." Darrell cut Brandon off sharply. I ignored it and looked out the window.

When we made it to the Auction plaza, I spotted Barry's motorcycle, Brandi and Jarrod's BMW, and Dave's trucks. I saw Brandi and Jarrod looking around the lot, peering through their sunglasses. When Darrell passed by them, I sunk down in the seat. Looks like I would have to be sneaky about getting back to them. When Darrell parked, I jumped out of the car. I carefully snuck into the crowd and crept up on both of them.

"HEY!" I exclaimed. Both of them jumped. I caught a look from Barry.

"Clove! Where were you all night?" Brandi worried. Jarrod looked at me, un happily.

"I was out…that's all I can say." I told both of them.

"Young lady! Where were you? And why…why are you so beat up!" Jarrod looked at me. I could tell that he was worried about me, but still pretty angry.

"I-I-"

"She got mugged…and I drove her to the hospital.


End file.
